Dungeon features

The dungeon in NetHack 2.2a has no branches; there is one way up and one way down. The first 25 levels or so consist of rooms, and beyond that, the adventurer encounters mazes. The deepest dungeon level is 60.

Medusa appears as '8' on the down-stairs of the last level with rooms. She does not have a special level, and is thus a snare for the unwary adventurer.

Fake Wizard rooms contain a demon instead of the Wizard and a fake Amulet.

Other maze levels have wands of wishing tucked under a boulder in a dead-end square. There can be more than one, but it's much less likely than before; but one is guaranteed in the level immediately after Medusa. Since NetHack 3.1.0, one version of Medusa's lair has a random wand in a similar spot, commemorating the former location of the wand of wishing.

Artifacts

Excalibur is obtained in the modern fashion (save that there's no requirement to be lawful, as alignment is not yet implemented). That is, it is no longer necessary to first name the sword Excalibur, and in fact the player cannot name any object Excalibur. It no longer becomes +5, but instead gets +5 to hit and does d10 extra damage to all monsters. Wielding Excalibur makes demons angry (previously they might ask for a bribe) and can call the attention of certain monsters. Excalibur may now be granted by crowning.

Snickersnee is new to 2.2a. Any katana may be named Snickersnee and will do d10 extra points damage to all monsters.

Amulets

Only the Amulet of Yendor and the cheap plastic imitation exist in NetHack 2.2a.

The scroll of damage weapon acts as the modern scroll of enchant weapon does when cursed. The scroll of genocide acts, in all cases, as the modern blessed scroll; but most symbols refer to only one monster anyway.